Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. |
AUGUST 9, 2026
- Preparing Los Angeles for more extreme heat
- A new community-designed mural in Palms
- Canter’s Deli celebrates 95 years
- A safer intersection near a Westwood school
- National Night Out!
|
Preparing Los Angeles for a Hotter Future
Los Angeles has been stuck in a long stretch of hot weather, with temperatures climbing into the 90s across parts of the city and even higher farther inland. Some relief is finally expected this week, but heatwaves like this are becoming more common as our climate warms.
Extreme heat underscores the urgency of reducing the pollution driving climate change. We also need to prepare our neighborhoods for the warming already underway.
For Los Angeles, climate resilience starts with shade. Trees, covered bus stops, reflective pavement and better-designed public spaces make a bigger difference than many people realize. Shaded surfaces often stay 20 to 45 degrees cooler than exposed materials, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Well-placed shade trees around a home also reduce cooling costs.
Those differences matter when you are walking to school, waiting for a bus, or trying to keep your home cool.
Cooling our streets
This spring, the City installed cool pavement on several residential streets in Council District 5, including sections of Canfield Avenue, Cardiff Avenue, Regent Street, and Livonia Avenue. Unlike traditional dark asphalt, cool pavement reflects more sunlight instead of absorbing it as heat. Some forms also allow water to pass through the surface, providing added cooling as the water evaporates.
Cool pavement is one tool. However, trees remain one of our best long-term investments.
Over the past four years, we have planted hundreds of trees across Council District 5. That includes 50 new trees in Koreatown through our partnership with the Koreatown Youth and Community Center. Each tree will provide more shade, cleaner air, and a cooler sidewalk as it grows.
The truth is, we need to plant far more. Expanding our tree canopy will be a major focus of my second term, especially in neighborhoods with the least shade and the greatest exposure to extreme heat.
Making transit more comfortable
Heat resilience also needs to shape our transit system. As a member of the Metro Board, I have pushed for stations and bus stops that work better for riders during hot weather.
Metro is now testing a ThermoShade structure at he tNorth Hollywood Station. Its passive cooling panels operate without fans, water, or electricity. The company reports that the space beneath the structure feels up to 20 degrees cooler than the area beneath a standard awning.
The City is also working to add more than 3,000 bus shelters over the next decade, most with shade and weather protection.
Protecting renters from dangerous indoor heat
Our work cannot stop at streets and sidewalks. Extreme heat becomes especially dangerous when people have no way to cool down at home. Heat is one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the United States. Access to a safe indoor temperature should not depend on whether you own or rent your home.
Los Angeles requires rental housing to provide heat during the winter, but we have no equivalent standard protecting renters when indoor temperatures become dangerous during the summer.
Los Angeles County recently adopted an 82-degree maximum indoor temperature standard for covered rental housing in unincorporated communities. In February, I joined the City Council in directing City departments to develop options for a similar protection in Los Angeles. I also co-authored an amendment setting deadlines for those reports and requiring an early review of the electrical grid capacity needed to support the policy.
Find a place to cool down
City cooling centers provide free, air-conditioned spaces during extreme heat. Use the link below to find the nearest location and current hours. You can also call 311 within the City or 211 anywhere in Los Angeles County.
FIND A COOLING CENTER →
Preparing Los Angeles for extreme heat will require sustained investment from the City and Metro. I will keep pushing for more trees, cooler streets, shaded transit stops and safe homes, with resources focused on the residents and neighborhoods facing the greatest risk. |
Key Updates
COMPLETED | A NEW MURAL UNVEILED IN PALMS!
Last weekend, we unveiled a new 5,000-square-foot mural on Overland Avenue, designed by artist Amani Holbert with input from Palms residents. The project replaces a former mural lost to repeated vandalism and reflects the neighborhood’s diversity, creativity and welcoming spirit. Residents helped shape the design through community meetings and conversations over the past three years.
CELEBRATING 95 YEARS | CANTER’S TURNS BACK THE CLOCK
Canter’s Deli celebrated its 95th anniversary this week by turning back the clock with 95-cent pastrami sandwiches. The Fairfax institution, still run by the Canter family, first opened in Boyle Heights in 1931 before moving to its longtime home on Fairfax Avenue in 1948. Generations of Angelenos have made Canter’s part of their family traditions, and this week’s celebration was a fitting way to mark nearly a century in Los Angeles.
NEW | A SAFER 3-WAY INTERSECTION IN WESTWOOD
This month, the City installed a quick-build traffic circle at Ohio Avenue, Selby Avenue and Wilkins Avenue after hearing safety concerns from nearby residents and school families. Traffic collisions are a leading cause of death for children in Los Angeles, and this intersection near a school posed a clear risk. We should not wait for tragedy before acting when there are inexpensive, quick build solutions that make streets safer for kids. The project keeps every existing stop sign but requires drivers to slow down as they enter the intersection. The center is mountable, allowing emergency vehicles to drive over it when needed.
PUBLIC SAFETY | NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
This week, I joined residents, LAPD officers, neighborhood leaders, and City partners at Pan Pacific Park for National Night Out. These events are a chance to build stronger relationships between residents and the officers who serve their neighborhoods, but the work has to continue year-round. Public safety depends on trust, communication, and residents knowing who to call when something goes wrong. If you missed National Night Out, reach out to my team, and we’ll gladly connect you with the Senior Lead Officer who serves your neighborhood.
|
Community Events
Wildlife Safety Meeting l August 18th, 6:00 to 7:30 PM
Join LA Animal Services for a webinar on Wildlife Safety to learn more about what to do when you encounter wildlife in and around your neighborhood.
Rolling with Skate Hunnies l September 3 at 6:30 PM
The Academy Museum is rolling with Skate Hunnies to host a party on wheels, taking you around the Wilshire-Fairfax neighborhood.
|
Need Help With a City Service?
We’re here to help! My team assists residents with homelessness concerns, streetlights, sanitation, renter issues, public safety, and other City services.
City Hall Office
200 N. Spring Street, Suite 440
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 473-7005
District Office
5416 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 866-1828
General inquiries: Councilmember.Yaroslavsky@lacity.org
All my best, |
Katy Yaroslavsky, Councilwoman 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012 Unsubscribe |
|
|
|
